When it was first suggested to me that we should allow Trevanian's characters from Shibumi
to be used in a new novel written by someone else, I was not
enthusiastic. As Trevanian's literary executor, the only
project that interested me was bringing out Street of the Four Winds, the longest of the unpublished works Trevanian left after his death in 2005. But Trevanian's literary agent, Michael Carlisle, had two good arguments in favor of such a project:
First, Trevanian's name would be brought to the attention
of a younger generation of readers, and sales of Shibumiand
his other novels would be stimulated. It was pleasing to think of a
fresh crop of Trevanian readers revelling in the marvellous creation
that is Nicholai Hel.
Second, many Trevanian readers would enjoy seeing the thriller
genre's cleverest hero back in action again. Over the years many
readers had expressed the hope that Trevanian would write another novel
featuring Nicholai Hel, but he steadfastly refused, uninterested in
covering the same ground twice. Here was a chance of granting, in
an odd way, that old request.
Now of course I also knew that, inevitably, some
other Trevanian readers would hate the idea of another writer's
borrowing Nicholai Hel -- but I reasoned that their admiration
for Trevanian would not be diminished by what they perceived to be my
error of judgment. The
advantages of having Trevanian's name in prominence and his sales
flourishing when it came to publishing Street of the Four Winds
were obvious, and this consideration was foremost in my mind when at
last I agreed to take the project one cautious step further, and allow Michael Carlisle and Richard Pine
to start looking for a writer. After all, I couldn't make my
mind up in a vacuum. Theory is one thing, reality another -- and
how could I be either in favor of or against a book that was still
unwritten, by an author as yet unknown?
I was further braced by the knowledge that Trevanian himself had
not been against the idea when it was mooted to him some time before
his death. While he had no desire to write about Nicholai Hel
again himself, he was not hostile to the idea of Nicholai's coming to
life again -- but only under certain conditions, of course. The
character of Nicholai Hel -- the aji of Nicholai Hel -- must be respected, and the book must be of a quality that would not disappoint his readers. The search for a writer began and led swiftly to Don Winslow,
a talented thriller writer whose knowledge of the Orient, of military
history and martial arts suited him admirably to the task. Winslow had
read Shibumi when it came out, and felt such enthusiasm for the book that he had even learned to play Go. Here then, was an exceptionally good choice of writer for the project. Then Richard Pine thought of a matchless title: Satori.
So far, then, so good. But the breakthrough came for me
with my realization that making the book a prequel, instead of a sequel
as first suggested, would have the double advantage of leaving in place
in the strong and beautiful ending of Shibumi while also solving the problem of finding a story line for the new book. In Shibumi
Trevanian outlined the plot of Hel's first 'stunt' after he was
released from imprisonment by the Americans. This
outline serves as the basic plot of Satori, but
Don Winslow hangs upon these bare bones an intricately woven and richly
embroidered story that is all his own. In Satori Winslow presents many colorful new characters, the fruit of his imagination, but we also see old friends from Shibumi:
Hel's mother, Alexandra Ivanova; Diamond's elder
brother (whom we had only heard about from Trevanian, and who takes
shape under Winslow's pen); the information
broker, Maurice de Lhandes (who in Satori acquires some of the bawdy speech patterns of Shibumi's
beloved Le Cagot); and of course Nicholai Hel himself --
linguist, caver and mystic, equipped with his extraordinary proximity
sense and the ability to kill using everyday objects, lover, assassin,
gardener and player of the Japanese game Go.
Writing something new of one's own while still respecting the
perimeters set out by another writer is a tricky job -- particularly
with a nervous literary executor hovering just out of sight -- but
Winslow has pulled it off beautifully, producing a book that should
enchant Trevanian and Winslow fans alike, and create many more of both.
In Satori we have a book that Don Winslow and the Trevanian Estate can be justly proud of. Don Winslow, you've done a wonderful job. Thank you. Readers, welcome to Satori.

Alexandra Whitaker writes:

It
was Trevanian’s wish that I edit this epic novel, his magnum
opus, and carry it through all the stages to publication -- but not
until I had finished and sold the novel I was writing at the time of
his death. That was his fatherly stipulation -- stipulation
because he was always very firm about doing things in the correct
order, and fatherly because I am Trevanian’s elder daughter.
My novel is coming out next year. I spent more time on it
than I had anticipated because for some time after his death I was too
unhappy to work. (Trevanian’s contribution to my book is
significant -- he was always a teacher at heart and exceptionally
generous with his knowledge and experience -- but I will speak of that
in more detail presently elsewhere.)
Now at last I am fulfilling my promise to him and to his
readers. I spend my afternoons immersed in the Bohemian world of
Paris in 1848 – a time when unbridled capitalism and the greed of
bankers and money-lenders had made life impossible for the common man –
a time, as you see, very like our own. Such richness! Such joy, but also such melancholy, hearing Trevanian’s voice again!